Barker Park Amphitheater Expansion

Why Expand the Amphitheater?

The huge success of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat in Summer 2016 underscored the interest in the arts that exists in North Ogden. We sold over 2,000 tickets for a 3-day performance, even with one day rained out! (see expenditures and revenues comparison) This was the first major community play at the Amphitheater, and we realized that there are thousands of people who want to support the arts in North Ogden. Given the level of interest and demand, we want to host more fantastic community cultural events at Barker Park. We also plan to bring in high-quality outside talent to provide entertainment for our community. There will be plays, ballets, operas, musical performances, "Movies in the Park," community celebrations, and other wonderful events to bring our community together to enjoy the power of the arts!

The citizens of North Ogden purchased the land for Barker Park and built the beautiful existing Amphitheater in the early 2000's at great expense. The natural setting of the Amphitheater with mountains on the north and east is unparalleled, and it was designed and built to hold large crowds and with enough electricity and infrastructure to accommodate major shows and outside talent. Unfortunately, however, future phases of construction at the park did not happen because of economic changes, and the stage is simply too small for most types of performances. The lack of storage space, dressing rooms, concession space, adequate parking, a roof, etc. have also been challenges to attracting and hosting performances, and the beautiful Amphitheater has only been used a handful of times over the years. Our goal is to "complete" the past investment and the vision of past leaders for the Amphitheater, by expanding the amphitheater to better accommodate community performances and to provide a venue for outside talent. The expanded Amphitheater will also provide a venue for smaller community events (dance recitals, community performances, etc.), as well as a beautiful space for wedding & party rentals to help offset the operating costs. The expanded Amphitheater will be a cultural and community gem for North Ogden, and tens of thousands of residents will come together to enjoy the season of events each Spring and Summer!

Amphitheater Expansion Open House

On August 22, 2017 we held an Open House to unveil the initial design concept for the Amphitheater expansion, and to gather input and feedback from residents. Thank you to everyone who attended and provided valuable input that will help shape the final design, color palette, and materials used. Below are the initial design renderings from the talented architects at Method Studio, who were selected for this project after a very competitive bidding process.

The Open House was a great success, and we had a good attendance and gathered lots of input and feedback about the project. See feedback results further below.

Mayor Taylor posted a live stream of the entire Open House meeting on his Facebook page. You can watch that video and hear the architect's presentation by clicking on the screenshot below (link to Facebook):

Open House Videos

A number of questions were posted about the project in the Facebook live thread, and Mayor Taylor prepared a second video answering questions, which was posted to YouTube and Facebook. See this video below to learn why we are focusing on the Amphitheater component of Barker Park first, before completing the remainder of the park itself.

Open House Feedback

We distributed a five-question survey to everyone who attended the Open House. We thank those who took time to comment, and we are looking carefully at all input. Click on the link below to see all of the responses received:

Overall Barker Park Expansion Concept

Here is an initial draft rendering of the larger Barker Park improvements set to take place over the coming years. Our plan is to expand and update the Amphitheater first, and build upon the incredible vision for that Amphitheater that was started so many years ago. Once the Amphitheater is completed and fully functioning as a cultural and community gem, we will shift gears to improving the remaining 38 acres of city property purchased for Barker Park that are north of the current Amphitheater and park (along 2600 N.). That acreage is currently being leased for agricultural use, but is city-owned property destined for the eventual expansion of Barker Park. Once completed, Barker Park will be one of the largest and best family parks in Northern Utah!